We’re officially in our down bad era.

After over a decade of safe, polished content, thirst has taken over.

Audiences are craving the gritty, the raw, and (sometimes) the slightly unhinged. Think Saltburn, Challengers, or Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin Klein ad. Many brands have already caught on—have you?

In today's newsletter:

• Why audiences are thirstier than ever (and what to do about it)

• 9 Lessons we learned from creating our own YouTube show

• Trend plug - “What are you doing?”

• Ask the Editor - How do I keep coming up with content ideas? 

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

Something's in the air, and it's not just pheromones.

It's cultural down bad-ness, at an all-time high.

We know sex sells. But the past decade’s stifled sexual expression has finally breached containment.

And the result? A flood of unapologetic, messy, and deeply thirsty content that’s impossible to ignore.

From Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin Klein ads to Saltburn, Challengers, and Billie Eilish’s Lunch, it’s clear that desire—raw, unfiltered, and just a little unhinged—is dominating pop culture.

Gone are the days of subtle innuendo. We’re now in an era of explicit yearning, sweaty tension, and fully embraced eroticism.

Why?

Repression breeds explosion.

Post Y2K’s sleazy marketing ordeals, the 2010s gave us "clean girl" aesthetics, brand-safe celebrities, and social media-fuelled hyper-curation.

It was a decade of perfectionism, of presenting a polished version of yourself at all times.

Boooo 🍅

We’re over it.

Now, we’re in a cultural moment where chaos is currency.

And marketers, of course, have noticed.

[Keep reading]

-Sophie, Writer

9 Lessons We Learned From Creating Our Own YouTube Show

Since last year, our team's been talking about how more and more brands are going to start creating their own shows.

We've shared how you can make your own show in your short-form content.

And we've predicted that, this year, YouTube will become the new Netflix, which presents a huge opportunity for brands who want to create long-form content.

But what you may not know is we've spent the last year creating our own YouTube show, The Dating Void.

And, as we get ready to take TDV international, we want to share everything we've learned so when you're ready to make your own show, you've got a place to start.

So, here are the top lessons we’ve learned from bringing this unique dating show to life.

1. A bold vision drives everything

We started The Dating Void as part of a larger plan to build a media powerhouse within The Attention Seeker.

By showcasing our creativity and tapping into culturally relevant topics, we’ve seen how aligning content with your bigger goals can exponentially grow a brand.

[Keep reading]

-Stanley, CEO

Trend Plug - “What Are You Doing?”

Alright, we've all done it: lowered the brightness of our screen to do something a little sneaky.

But what about when what we're doing isn't sneaky at all? When it's more embarrassing, unwise, or just straight weird.

Well, this trending sound is letting us share these beautiful, odd experiences. Awww.

Creators are using this trend for moments like, when my bf walks in and I'm looking at pics of him when he was 13 on his mom's fb or POV we're getting coffee and you catch me transferring money from my savings to checking.

How to jump on this trend:

Simply use this trending sound ("What are you doing? Texting...") and put it on top of a video of you on your phone, looking shady.

Then paste on-screen text explaining a time when you've looked shady—but you weren't actually doing anything!

A few ideas to get you started:

• When my boss thinks I'm scrolling TikTok, but I'm actually stalking his LinkedIn

• When my desk buddy thinks I'm sending shady messages, but I'm actually ordering UberEats to the office again

• POV you catch me checking my annual leave days for the 4th time today

-Maggie, Copywriter

Today on the YAP podcast…

Want even more ‘YAP’ing? Check out the full podcast here.

Ask the Editor

Q - I'm always running out of content ideas for my small business. How do I keep creating content when I don't know what to post about? -Tamara

Hey Tamara!

Most people think each new piece of content needs to come from a new idea. But, in our team, we produce hundreds of pieces of content each week, and these all stem from just a few concepts.

You only really need a handful of repeatable concepts that you can create content around. So when you think you have a good concept, ask yourself whether you can create 100 videos or posts about it.

If not, it's not right, and you need to spend some more time coming up with what those core concepts are for your brand. Once you've got those right, you should never run out of content ideas.

- Charlotte, Editor ♡

p.s. Check out How to never run out of content ideas for more help :-)

For the group chat

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: HOLY JETPACK JOYRIDE
❤How wholesome: THEY SAW SANTA
🎧Soooo tingly: wear headphones for this one
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Yummy Katsu Chicken

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